Fantasy Baseball 2013 Mid Season Awards

We've reached the midway point in the season (not exactly), and the All Star Game is this week. Now is a good time to take some time to praise and evaluate how players have done so far this season. Who has emerged as an elite player, who is breaking out, who is a fluke and who is still a second half sleeper. There have been quite a few surprises this season and the rookies seem to be flying off the waiver wire faster than ever (Thanks Mike Trout). It's time for me to break it down for you.

1st Half MVP: Miguel Cabrera 3B (Detroit)
The reigning Triple Crown winner, AL-MVP and current all star finds himself in familiar territory ending the first half of the fantasy season as the number one rated player across the board in all fantasy formats. The guy does it all. He hits homeruns, average, extra base hits, drives in runs, and scores runs. He gets on base with BBs and IBBs and doesn't strike out that much relatively speaking. Being at 3B is a bonus as usually 1B is the deepest IF position so it adds to his value. Currently posting a .465/.458/.674 slash line to go with 30 HRs and 95 RBI at the break. For most players, this would be an outstanding season. It's a good thing Miggy isn't like most players. I don't see any sign of him slowing down in the second half.

1st Half Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw SP (Dodgers)
Kershaw has looked like the aging veteran cy young winner he is supposed to be, except he's only 25. Already posting a career best in ERA at an astounding 1.98, but he's doing it on a team that has been struggling all season, or at least before the Puig arrival. If the season ended today his 137 Ks in 145 innings would put him at less than a K an inning for the first time in his career, but he'd also have career bests in WHIP (.908) and K/BB (5:1). It's safe to say that Kershaw is shaping himself another Cy Young season.




1st Half Breakout MVP: Chris Davis 1B/OF (Baltimore)

Everyone knew what Chris Davis was capable of. At 6'3" 230, it is surprising not to see him doing something more physical, but at the same time we can all agree that he looks as if he has made the right choice so far. Davis has posted monster numbers in the supposed "Post" steroid era being the first player since Barry Bonds in 2001 to hit 37 homeruns before the mid-summer break. He's on pace to hit over 60 big flies and drive in north of 150 runs. He has quietly brought the great HR race of 98 back into the discussion, let's just hope he's not on a similar diet of juice and needles. My advice would be to sell high while his production is impossible to maintain, and before he partakes in the oft detrimental homerun derby.

1st Half Breakout Cy Young: Matt Harvey SP (Mets)
This was the toughest choice of the day with all the breakout pitchers (Miller, Darvish, Iwakuma, Zimmerman, Corbin, Fernandez), but with Harvey pitching in the now-infamous nosebleed game, and pitching with the worst offense in baseball supporting him, Harvey was the easy choice for me. The guy is an animal. He eats opposing hitters for lunch as he commands four pitches with incredible ease and can gear up his fastball to 99 MPH if necessary. Currently recorded the fastest pitch out of a starter this season at 100.2 MPH, he looks as if he is on his way to taking Verlanders place as the most-dominant power righty in MLB. His 147 strikeouts leads the NL and is good for 3rd best in the majors. From a fantasy standpoint, now might be the time to sell him high if your league is not a keeper because with a 200-215 Innings cap, his season may end up being cut short by the end of august.

1st Half 1st Team All Fantasy
C: Yadier Molina
1B: Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Jason Kipnis
3B: Miguel Cabrera
SS: Troy Tulowitzki
OF: Mike Trout
OF: Chris Davis
OF: Carlos Gonzalez
UTIL: Matt Carpenter

This is my all first half team. Yadier Molina has already proven he is the best defensive catcher in all of baseball over the past few seasons, but it seems as though he is now proving that not only is he the best hitting catcher in the game, but is one of the top hitters in the league, currently leading the league in Batting Average at .341. Tulo makes the list despite being injured because he showed early in the season that there is no other standout shortstop in the game but him. He does it all. Hitting over .300 and was on pace for over 30 HRs. Kipnis is the surprise choice here with Pedroia and Cano floating around, but Kipnis has emerged as a perennial all star in Cleveland on pace for career highs in nearly every offensive category. Matt Carpenter is my last choice for utility. I understand there are a lot of players that could technically fit in the "Utility" slot, but no one is as versatile offensively and defensively as Carpenter. The guy is hitting over .320 as the leadoff man on the Cardinals. He is on pace for almost 50 doubles and almost 20 HRs out of the leadoff spot. The guy is the sparkplug of that offense and has already scored 72 runs, not to mention he has position eligibility at 1B, 2B, 3B and OF making him the true Utility player.

Max Scherzer

SP: Clayton Kershaw
SP: Matt Harvey
SP: Adam Wainwright
SP: Felix Hernandez
SP: Max Scherzer
RP: Jason Grilli

Wainwright has been electric, recording 16 Quality Starts in 20 chances this season and an insane 130:15 K/BB ratio. The guy is the true definition of an ace giving his team a chance to win every time he toes the rubber. Felix has been the King we know in Seattle going 10-4 with a 2.5 ERA and a ridiculous 140:26 K/BB ratio (nearly 6:1). Scherzer rounds out my group of 1st Half studs earning his first loss of the season on the last day before the break. The guy is 13-1 with a sup 1 WHIP and may even be considered the best pitcher on his team now and that is an impressive feat when you've got the likes of Justin Verlander on your squad.

Yasiel Puig

1st Half 1st Team All Breakout Fantasy Players
C: Evan Gattis
1B: Chris Davis
2B: Matt Carpenter
3B: Manny Machado/Josh Donaldson
SS: Jean Segura
OF: Starling Marte
OF: Yasiel Puig
OF: Domonic Brown
OF: Carlos Gomez

Puig could be considered the star storyline of the first half, but he shouldn't be. Yes, of course he has been outstanding for his first month+ of the season, but other players are putting up first halves you would never expect. Domonic Brown has hit 23 Homers at the break which is good for double what he had in his 3 season career before this year. Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado are both emerging as great options at 3B making it nearly the deepest position in fantasy sports, while Jean Segura has been turning heads all season in Milwaukee by showing signs that he has all five tools and is not afraid to use them. Carlos Gomez is another quiet horse who has smacked 14 HRs, 9 3Bs and stolen 21 bases already. Look for these guys to be lottery fantasy picks for years to come.

Yu Darvish

SP: Matt Harvey
SP: Shelby Miller
SP: Yu Darvish
SP: Patrick Corbin
SP: Jose Fernandez
RP: Jason Grilli

Yu Darvish has been amazing. His slider is near unhittable, and he proved that on opening day taking a perfect game into the 9th with two outs before having it broken up. The guy is a stud and leads the league with 157 Ks. At only 26, there are a lot more Ks to come. Corbin and Miller have been great surprises as although Miller has started cooling off, Corbin has continued to dominate taking an 11-1 record and a 2.35 ERA into the break. Jason Grilli has been near perfect converting 29/30 saves while racking up 63 Ks and only 9 BBs (7:1) in 40+ Innings.


Players to Watch in 2nd Half

Wil Myers

C: Brian McCann/ Josh Phegley/ Evan Gattis
1B: Eric Hosmer
2B: Nick Franklin
3B: Alex Rodriguez/ Brett Lawrie
SS: Jose Iglesias/ Derek Jeter
OF: Adam Eaton
OF: Giancarlo Stanton
OF: George Springer
OF: Wil Myers
OF: Curtis Granderson
OF: Jason Heyward
Util: Victor Martinez

Chris Carpenter

SP: Sonny Gray
SP: Erasmo Ramirez
SP: Danny Salazar
SP: Chris Carpenter
SP: Michael Pineda
SP: Roy Halladay
SP: Zack Wheeler
SP: Jarred Cosart
SP: Tyler Skaggs
RP: Kevin Gregg

The list above is a bunch of players who have been injured, slumping or playing in the minors who I think will be impact players in the second half. I truly believe Atlanta wants to get Evan Gattis as many full-time looks as possible, so look for McCann to potentially be traded to a contending American League team lacking veteran leadership, a catcher/DH or both (Angels, Athletics, D-Backs, Yankees). This will give McCann full time PAs as well giving the All Star a chance to put up more numbers. Stanton, Jeter, Lawrie, Granderson, Eaton, Halladay, Pineda, Carpenter will all be coming back from injuries healthy in the second half. I look to them to put up some numbers that could impact fantasy teams down the road. The rest of the pitchers are all rookies who are going to/already have been brought up to make an impact on their clubs. They have all put up impressive minor league numbers, which I believe will translate to an effective season especially for contending teams.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, leave a comment here. Good luck with all your fantasy seasons.